INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — In just two months, lawmakers have pushed through a flurry of bills addressing issues ranging from literacy and absenteeism to access to contraception and fixes to parts of the troubled Medicaid program that Gov. Sent to.
The biggest education concerns are literacy and absenteeism
In August, state education officials revealed that nearly one in five third-graders in Indiana cannot read at grade level. Around the same time, a similar number were found to be chronically absent from school. State lawmakers and Holcomb said those issues will be a top priority in the months leading up to the session.
The senators' literacy plan had the Senate Bill 1 designation, indicating it was the chamber's top legislative priority. The final version of the bill would move the IREAD exam from third grade to second grade and require reading intervention for students who fail the exam. If she fails the exam three times, the student will have her suspended for one year. Students will not be accepted if they are English language learners, have an intellectual disability, or demonstrate proficiency in mathematics.
Regarding absenteeism, a bill approved on the last day of the session would require schools to hold attendance meetings with parents of chronically absent students and provide services to help students get to class on time. is required to establish.
Higher education also attracted the attention of lawmakers. The governor's desk bill would require Indiana's four-year colleges to explore the possibility of offering three-year bachelor's degrees. The bill also codifies into state law the Ivy Tech Community College Reverse Credit Transfer Program, in which students who complete at least 75 credit hours at a four-year institution can earn an associate's degree. Credits may be transferred to Ivy Tech to earn a degree.
Attendant care programs will come under increased scrutiny
A projected $1 billion Medicaid funding shortfall was revealed in December, casting a shadow over the 2024 legislative session. The following month, revelations that the Department of Family and Social Services would begin removing families from the attendant care program sparked weekly protests by parents of seriously ill children. Lawmakers approved a bill near the end of the session that would require new transparency and oversight rules for the FSSA, as well as a full accounting of the causes of forecast problems. The law also requires the FSSA to set minimum reimbursement levels for families transitioning from the Accompanied Care Program to a separate program, Structured Family Care. Lawmakers at one point considered setting their own minimums, but ultimately chose to leave the decision to government agencies.
Childcare, contraception, etc.
A bill currently on the governor's desk would make childcare workers who earn up to 85% of the state's median income eligible for the “On My Way Pre-K” program and Childcare Development Fund vouchers. It is. The bill also lowers the minimum age to become a childcare worker from 21 to 18.
The Democratic-backed bill would require doctors to offer long-acting, reversible contraceptives to new mothers who are Medicaid recipients. Supporters of the bill said doing so is one way to prevent unwanted pregnancies, especially among the state's most vulnerable residents.
Mr. Holcomb will have to decide whether to sign a bill that would eliminate work-hour limits for 16- and 17-year-olds and make it easier for 14- and 15-year-olds to attend school. Another bill would prohibit foreign adversaries from purchasing new farmland in Indiana or land within 10 miles of military installations. The House priority bill would codify the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of anti-Semitism into state law, declare anti-Semitism a form of religious discrimination, and ban anti-Semitism in educational settings.
The governor has seven days after the bill is formally introduced to take action on the bill.